The LOAD
by L.O.A.D
Summary: A new and bizarre woman comes to New Orleans and has a run in with The Shadowman. Too bad for 'him.'


**This is in no way connected to my fanverse. Now let me settle a few things, The L.O.A.D. is not a mary sue! Not all original characters are! In no way is she perfect or wonderful. She is a selfish, vengeful, depressive BITCH!!!! I don't care if you don't like the levels of her powers. SHE'S A GOD!!!! It would be no different than if I had Zeus or Isis visiting Facilier. She is a character I made up for a book series I'm writing and she is not the only character of this strength. _Sure, _she's one of the strongest, but there are plenty of others who can go toe to toe with her and probably win. If Lovecraft is allowed to create his own gods, mythology and world for his books, than so am I! Think of it as a crossover for an as yet unpublished work. Don't worry, I won't write her into anymore of my stories, this idea has just been bothering me forever. I did not create her for this story, she has existed for years. I don't own Facilier, but I do own The L.O.A.D. do if you want to use her in a story, ask me first. And if you want to know something about her, ask, don't make it up. I'll be pissed if someone messes up my characters. Please review :)**

* * *

A woman walked through the streets of New Orleans. She had long black hair and was wearing a long (but not too long) green dress with a short black sweater pulled over it and left unbuttoned. She was there as a suggestion by an old friend. A _very_ old friend. For this wasn't an ordinary woman. She was the dragon goddess known to many simply as The L.O.A.D. She was there because her friend had suggested that it was time to move to America, seeing as her former home had a recent change in politics. The L.O.A.D. wasn't sure why her friend had suggested New Orleans in particular, though she thought it might have had something to do with the two voodoo practitioners that had set up residence in and near the city. She had done her research before she came and she knew of at least two magic users; Mama Odie and a mysterious gentleman who she heard referred to in hushed tones only as the Shadowman.

The L.O.A.D. sighed and leaned against the wall of a building. Today was a reconnaissance mission. She would patrol the city in human form to determine whether or not it would make a suitable territory. And she wouldn't mind finding out more about the two conjurers. She moved from her position and returned to walking down the street. New Orleans was a bit further south than she had been in this country, but she could learn to cope. The temperature was satisfactory as was the river and the swamp. She would need to explore those last two later in dragon form when there weren't so many people. Despite that, she liked the city quite a bit. She would need to find a house, but that shouldn't be too hard. She continued walking until she tired, leaning against a wall to rest. Goddess or not, her flight across the Atlantic had left her winded. She closed her eyes and didn't notice the mysterious man walking over to her.

"Madame," he said. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was tall and lean, wearing almost all black except for a purple vest that left his stomach visible and a red cummberbund around his waist. He was leaning on a wooden cane topped by a purple orb. Around his neck was a necklace with two gator teeth. He wore a top hat with a purple (he apparently liked that color) feather and a skull and crossbones. She noticed his eyes were also purple and she could smell magic on him. The L.O.A.D. smiled to herself. So this was the infamous Shadowman. "Enchante," he continued speaking. He took off his top hat and revealled a wild mess of hair. "A tip of the hat from Dr. Facilier." He straightened up and replaced his top hat. He took her hand and kissed it. Removing her hand from his she smiled.

"So I take it you are the Shadowman I've been warned about?" He smiled, revealing a gap in his teeth. She also noticed he had a thin mustache.

"It would appear as if my reputation precedes me," he said. "I apologize if y'all were trying to avoid me." This time she smiled.

"Actually," she said, "I was just about to go looking for you." He laughed.

"What to learn about your future, _chere_?" He asked. She looked him over. Finding no reason why not, she shrugged and nodded.

"I can't think of a reason not to," she answered. She sensed someone trying to read her mind and quickly blocked her thoughts. She looked at Facilier, who frowned.

"What's your name?" He asked. She giggled lightly. So he was a mind reader, though not strong enough to force his way into a dragons mind. She thought for a moment, looking for a proper alias.

"You can call me Eliza," she said. He nodded, still unnerved that he couldn't read her mind. He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her down the street. She looked around, noticing she was getting concerned looks form those around them. He led her into a rather creepy looking alleyway that opened up into what appeared to be a courtyard, with a dead tree in the center. He motioned a purple door. She looked at it and read the sign above the door;

**Dr. Facilier's Voodoo Emporium**

She smiled and opened the door, entering the room. She looked around, noting the skulls and bones. She noticed the curtain change form as his shadow passed over it, going from an interesting pattern to that of skull and crossbones. It was at this moment she noticed his shadow moved on its own. Her heart quickened with anger. She could never forgive the elementals for what they had done. Facilier noticed her unease and the smile returned to his face.

"Relax, darling," he said. "Shadow won't hurt y'all." He walked passed her and walked over to his table sitting down and making a pack of tarot cards appear from out of nowhere. He started to shuffle the cards as she walked over, sitting across from him. He finished shuffling the deck and held the cards out to her. "Just pick three," he said. She nodded, drawing the three closest to her. He took them, made the rest of the deck vanish and laid the cards face down infront of her. He looked at her and tried to read her mind again. This time she let him.

_The first card is my past, _she thought, allowing him to hear this. He smiled.

"That's right, _chere,_" he said. "There's more to y'all than meets the eye." She giggled at his ignorance and he turned the first card over. He looked at it and paled almost instantly. She glanced casually at the card and smiled. It was a dragon, made almost of mist, that seemed to shifting its shape. It was surrounded by many other creatures, also made of mist and all connect to the dragon. She looked back at him as he eyed her nervously.

_Like what you see, my little mind reader?_ She asked mentally, thnking it more to him than herself. He swallowed, glancing from her to the card and back. He laughed nervously.

"We don't get too many dragons in these parts," he said. "Y'all are the first one I've ever seen. Says in your card you're an old one too, a powerful one, but it doesn't say how old or how strong. You wouldn't be influencing it would you?" He asked, She smiled ironically.

"Now," she said, "why would I do that?" She smiled, which Facilier now found unsettling. He looked over to his Shadow, then back to Eliza. He sighed.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said, standing up. "I need to clear my head." He walked to the door and stepped outside, Shadow following faithfully. Once outside, Facilier let his cool slip a little.

"What do we do?" He asked his shadow. "I've never dealt with a dragon before." Shadow looked at the door.

_The 'friends' might except her, _he said. _It might pay off your debt. The soul of a trully powerful dragon is a rare treat. _Facilier looked at the door also.

"Do you think we can do it?" He asked. Shadow nodded.

_I can't see why not. If you stab her in the heart with the soul stealing dagger, her soul can be harvested like any others. _Facilier nodded then went back into his emporium. As he walked over to the table he secretly grabbed the dagger he used to harvest souls and slipped it into his pocket. He sat back down.

"Now," he said, "where were we?" Eliza smiled.

"The present," she said. Facilier nodded and flipped over the card. It showed a dragon flying over an ocean. He looked at Eliza.

"Y'all are planning on moving here from Italy." He said, displeased with the fact that she was planning on making New Orleans her perminant residance. Eliza nodded and frowned.

"I don't want you treating me differently just because I'm a dragon," she said. Facilier grinned to himself, feeling the handle of the blade.

"Don't worry," he said. "I wont." Without another word he stood up and walked behind Eliza. Without her knowing, he pulled the dagger out of his pocket and drove it into the dragoness' heart. The moment the blade pierced her flesh she knew its purpose; it was a souls stealer. Two wings erupted from her back as she snarled in outrage, knocking Facilier to the ground. She leaped backwards from her seat and landed behind the witch doctor, changing forms in midair. The whole place shook as her hands, or rather claws, struck the ground. Facilier turned around and immediately regretted his decision. Standing there was a black dragon, about the size of a large horse, with a frill on each side of its head and four long tendrils growing down from her mouth, two on the top jaw ad two on her chin. Two long, sharp horns curled back from her head. Her back was bare and smooth and two large wings sprouted over her arms. Her tail ended unarmed. Her eyes glowed a menacing red. Still in her chest was the dagger. Sitting on her haunches she pulled the dagger out of her and through it to the side. She turned back to Facilier and growled.

"I'm a goddess," she said when she saw his confusion. "And immortal. My soul cannot be stolen; my life cannot be taken." She dropped into a hunter's crouch. "But yours can." She lunged at him but over gaged the distance, causing her to land on the table. It buckled under her weight, knocking her to the ground and buying him some time. He scrambled to his feet and rushed away from her. He grabbed the dagger. Even if he couldn't kill her, he might be able to injure her. He watched her get to her feet, blood running from the wounds left by the broken wood. He noticed she never fully closed her wings, always keeping them half open. She prepared to lunge again, opening her wings a little wider. He took his chance. He shot a fireball right into her right wing, burning away the membrane and leaving nothing behind but the five wing fingers. She cried out in pain and turned to examine her wing. She could heal it, but it would be a waste of energy to do so in the middle of a fight. While she was distracted Facilier snuck up on her and jumped on her back. She bucked, trying to throw him off but couldn't. Taking the dagger he drove it into her left, and good, eye. Crying out in pain she summoned her magic and disappeared into a cloud of smoke, dropping Facilier to the ground. He got to her feat, looking for where she had gone. Suddenly, he felt a pressure around his neck as he was lifted off the ground. A smoke-like hand was around his neck, strangling him. Shadow, seeing his master in danger, disappeared into the darkness. The hand released Facilier and a moment later Shadow reappeared. Eliza reappeared too, still in dragon form, with deep slashes all along her body. Blood was running down her face from where Facilier had taken her eye and one of her wings was almost skeletal. Snarling she rushed forward and grabbed the witch doctor's shoulder in her jaws, intent on ending the fight. Rearing up on her hind legs, she lifted him off the ground and shook her head back and forth.

Facilier could feel her fangs ripping at him flesh, rending muscle form bone. For a moment she was sure she'd rip his arm off. Finally she let go, flinging him across the room. He crashed into his bookshelf, knocking many of the things off the shelves. Facilier tried to sit up but the pain in his shoulder was too much. Shadow glided over, ready to die protecting his master from the enraged goddess.

"Hold on!" Facilier begged. "Give me another chance! I meant nothing by it, I-I didn't know y'all was a god." Eliza growled, not caring what he had to say, and stalked over until she was standing over him. Facilier swallowed and looked up at her. "Y'all have the most beautiful, um, _eye._" He said, hoping to flatter her. She snarled and opened her jaws, ready to end it. Facilier could see a mass of fire forming at the back of her throat. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to finish it, his whole body trembling.

Eliza watched the human quake and started to relax, her desire for blood subsiding. She closed her mouth and looked at the trembling man, sitting down like an oversized cat. She sighed.

"Relax," she said. "I won't hurt you." Facilier opened his eyes and once more tried to sit up. His shadow helped him get to his feet as he looked the dragon over. Her wounds had given her a fierce, savage look, though her voice was just as elegant as before, if maybe a little more tired. "You still haven't finished reading my fortune," she said, motioning towards the broken table, which she fixed with her magic. "It would be nice to know what the future holds." Facilier looked at her warily.

"So that's it?" He asked. "You're just gonna spare me?" She nodded. "Why?"

"Far to much blood has been shed today," she said tiredly, looking around. "Mind you, most of it is mine," she added, chuckling. She stopped laughing and turned to him, now dead serious. "Why did you try to kill me?" She asked him. Facilier sighed.

"It was nothing against you," he said. "You see, I have this debt from my 'Friends on the Other Side,' shadow creatures, and I figured a dragon's soul might be enough to pay them back in full." He chuckled nervously. "I swear, if I had known you were a goddess I never would have tried it. Don't at me." Eliza went from examining her injured wing to looking at him.

"Eat you?" She asked, sounding offended. "Sir, I make it a point never to eat people whom I know personally, unless there is no way around it." She glanced back at her wing and frowned. He swallowed.

"Sorry about that," he said. "And your eye. I can heal you, if you let me."

"That will be quite alright," she said. "I can heal myself." A red mist appeared around her and slowly her wing membrane began to grow back as did her eye. She left the cuts alone, instead deciding to lick those clean and let them heal on their own. Whe she was doe licking her own wounds she moved closer to Facilier and ran her tongue over his wounded shoulder, sealing the cuts and healing the torn flesh.

"Thanks," he said. "That would have gotten nasty. I can't use magic on myself." Eliza nodded and walked over to the table, not changing her shape. Facilier walked over too, sitting down across from her. Her tail twitched back and forth like that of an irritated cat. Facilier swallowed and turned over the last card.

On it was a white dragon, it's chest sliced open and blood flowing like a river from the wound. On her was a young man in medieval garb, holding a blood soaked sword triumphantly above his head. In the background was another dragon, a black one with a scare on its right side, watching the event. Facilier swallowed again, fearing he had predicted wrong.

_Maybe it's symbolic? _He thought nervously to himself. Eliza looked at him oddly.

"What does it tell you?" She asked. He took a deep breath and answered

"It says y'all are gonna be killed," he said. She looked at him then at the card. "But the card must be mistaken; you're immortal." She nodded, still staring at the card. Finally she shifted back into a woman and dropped some coins on the table.

"For your services," she said. "Feel free to use my blood in a spell. I must be off."

"You're not mad about your prediction?" He asked.

"Hardly," she whispered as she left. "Now I have something to hope for."

* * *

**This story is over forever. Like I said, don't complain. She's a god. Although I went a little OOC with her at the end. In reality she probably would have killed him, so it was more me showing mercy than The L.O.A.D. But it's not impossible for her to pity him so who knows. She's spared people for being scared before (Mostly because she likes watching people cower and beg; she sort of a sadist that way). Facilier's card said she was going to die, but she's immortal. And why was she so happy about the prediction?**


End file.
